You Can’t Crap Your Way to Fitness

It’s that time of year again: Summer’s almost over and people haven’t lost the weight they promised themselves they’d loose last Summer, and desperation is setting in. You’ve probably heard the ads by now: Loose 5 to 20 pounds without exercise or diet just by “removing the wastes trapped in your colon wall like spackling inside a pipe…” It must be effective right? I mean, it’s expensive, uncomfortable and potentially fatal, so it’s a sure-fire solution.

Of course it’s all a sham. Nothing gets trapped in your colon - it’s not a sewer pipe. Just ask anyone who’s recently had a colonoscopy - and they have the pictures to prove it. Having a “blow out” won’t get rid of any fat, won’t make you any healthier and in most cases won’t even temporarily decrease your abdominal measurement by so much as a centimeter. Why?

First, a little basic biology. The colon, also called the large intestine, follows the small intestine and comprises the end of the gastrointestinal tract. Most nutrients from food are absorbed in the small intestine. The colon absorbs water and salts from the stool while it pushes it along through the rectum, which excretes it.

Laxatives and enemas, which promote bowel movements, have been around for at least 4,000 years and were famously practiced by the ancient Egyptians. That shouldn't be an endorsement; the ancient Egyptians also buried servants alive to attend to the mummified kings in the afterlife.

The golden age of the colon in America was in the late 19th century when—perhaps influenced by a new emphasis on hygiene and proper sewage removal—serious-minded doctors developed the theory of colonic autointoxication. The most famous of these was none other than Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes as in the breakfast cereal), and you can see his enema exploits documented in the movie “The Road to Wellville”.

The idea was that the intestines were a sewage system and that constipation, although never specifically defined, resulted in a cesspool within the body where food wastes would putrefy, become toxic, and get reabsorbed through the intestines. Some scientists also claimed that constipation caused fecal matter to harden onto the intestinal walls for months or years – 20 pounds or more worth, blocking the absorption of nutrients (yet somehow not blocking toxins). This latter claim that waste “sticks to the intestine wall like spackling on the inside of a pipe” is still made by charlatans to this day.

Constipation is indeed uncomfortable. But careful testing found that those symptoms associated with it and attributed to autointoxication—headache, fatigue, loss of appetite and irritability—were not a result of toxins but rather the colon expanding. The reason was mechanical, not chemical. A 1919 article in Journal of the American Medical Association by W.C. Alvarez, "Origin of the so-called auto-intoxication symptom" put these ridiculous ideas to rest once and for all. By the 1920s, colon cleansing was relegated to the realm of quackery.

Soon after, and still to this day, direct observations of the colon through surgery, colonoscopy, and autopsy find no hardening of fecal matter along the intestinal walls. And even in the most massive cases of constipation requiring a true surgical intervention (very rare) the record for feces removal is less than 5 pounds.

But, in this modern American life of comforts our ancestors could never imagine, you can't keep a crappy idea down.

Autointoxication makes sense today to those people who, for whatever reasons, believe that modern food is filled with toxins and that the pharmaceutical industry wants us to be constipated so that they can make billions of dollars unclogging us with harmful chemicals.

Those who advocate colon cleansing today present the exact same arguments as quacks of more than 100 years ago. Not surprisingly, they're still wrong. Their reasoning is spelled out on thousands of web sites that give no references to their claims that colon cleansing cures everything from arthritis to Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Inevitably these sites include testimonials, then the opportunity to buy the cure.

"It's all just nonsense," says Dr. Brian Lacy of Dartmouth Medical School, author of Making Sense of IBS: A Physician Answers Your Questions about Irritable Bowel Syndrome. With product prices often topping $100 (and spa therapies sometimes reaching $1,000) Lacy calls colon cleansing "a very expensive and potentially deadly enema."

Lacy approaches the topic logically. If stool is toxic, then the roughly 15 percent of American adults with constipation would have significantly higher rates of disease and death. They don't.

There have been real, honest-to-goodness studies on colon cleansing in recent years, he said, but they all have focused on the potential harm: abscesses caused by too much water, rectal perforation and electrolyte imbalance. All that water, usually tens of gallons, washes out the electrolytes that the colon was built to absorb. The water also washes away beneficial bacteria needed for digestion, and not magically only harmful bacteria, as the proponents claim.

Being regular can mean hitting the toilet three times a day or three times a week; there is zero evidence that more bowel movements will make you thinner or healthier. If you are constipated, then a laxative can make you feel better. Laxatives also aren't necessarily healthy. There are kinds that shock the bowels into moving, kinds that draw water into the intestines, and kinds that build bulk. Many doctors recommend the bulk-builders as the best course.

While colon cleaning can make some people feel better, it doesn’t make one any less fat, and it certainly doesn't cure any disease; it's no more effective at relieving discomfort than an enema; and it is tantamount to throwing money down the proverbial toilet.

The Worst Mall Foods You Can Eat

Well, we’re back from our summer break now, and with the weather so hot I couldn’t help but notice how people are flocking to shopping malls –I was one of them. While I was there, I couldn’t miss the smell of food-court treats slamming my nose from the minute I walked in the door, so I know a lot of us will probably end up chowing down on our shopping trips – but be careful!

Here's the danger: Studies have shown that the more temptation people resist, the harder it becomes to continue resisting. That means after hours of being surrounded by tempting sales, special offers, and life-changing, one-time deals, your ability to resist the enticing edibles of the food court may be severely compromised.

And considering the calorie bombs we saw there, a lack of willpower in the presence of mall eateries can be a very dangerous thing. Based on what we saw, here are our nominees for "The Worst Mall Foods", with some eye-popping details from Men’s Health magazine:

"MOST FAT" in a Breakfast

Cinnabon

Regular Caramel Pecanbun

1,100 calories

56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)

141 g carbs

47 g sugars

FAT EQUIVALENT: 8 White Castle Hamburgers

Cinnabon and malls are inseparable. But just because Cinnabon might be good for the Gap doesn't mean it's at all good for you. This dangerously bloated bun -- among these Fattiest Foods in America -- contains nearly an entire day's worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so for god's sake don't eat this!

"MOST SUGAR" in a Drink

Smoothie King

Grape Expectations II (40 oz)

1,096 calories

0 g fat (0 g saturated)

266 g carbs

250 g sugars

SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 13 Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Smoothie King calls this a way to "snack right"; we call it one of the quickest ways to get fat! Even if most of the sugar comes from some form of fruit or fruit juice (in this case, ultra-sweet grape juice), the resulting blood-sugar surge (and inevitable energy crash) from this much sweetness may leave you struggling to find a stranger with some spare insulin you can borrow.

"MOST BAD STUFF" in One Bowl

Au Bon Pain

Large Macaroni and Cheese Stew with Bread Bowl

1,120 calories

42 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)

3,070 mg sodium

157 g carbs

SODIUM EQUIVALENT: 22 small orders of McDonald's French Fries!

Whether it's made from a giant fried tortilla or a massive hunk of sourdough, if your serving vessel is edible, you're asking for trouble. In this case, the bread bowl adds a belly-building 600 calories to what is already one of America's most decadent, over-the-top spoonables. If soup's your thing, you'll have a hard time keeping the sodium down no matter which bowl you order; good, old-fashioned tomato soup is as good as you'll do at Au Bon Pain.

"MOST CALORIES" in a Sandwich

Quizno's

Large Tuna Melt Club with cheese and dressing

1,820 calories

147 g fat (27 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)

2,020 mg sodium

85 g carbs

CALORIC EQUIVALENT: 12 Taco Bell Fresco Style Beef Tacos

Tuna off the grill or straight from the can is perfectly healthy; tuna drowning in mayonnaise, blanketed in melted cheese, and slicked with oily dressing is decidedly not. Not only does this sandwich carry with it nearly an entire day's worth of calories and sodium, it also contains as much fat as 49 strips of bacon. In fact, it's so bad that it was recently listed in Men's Health 20 Worst Foods in America for 2009.

The Cure for Back Pain? Lift More Weight!

The answer to managing nagging back pain might prove counterintuitive: A new study suggests pushing those sore muscles with weight training and improving overall body strength could help, researchers say.

Weightlifting enhanced quality of life for back-pain patients by as much as 28%, says a study done at the University of Alberta and presented at the American College of Sports Medicine.

More frequent training led to better results. The research was done on 240 men and women who had had no back surgery, damaged vertebrae or nerve root problems. All had chronic, non-specific lower-back pain as a result of injury to soft tissue in the lower back.

"Why does increasing strength even make a difference?" asks lead researcher Robert Kell, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. "Let's say you garden or go out for a full day of activities and come home tired. We are more apt to injure our backs if we are fatigued. By increasing overall strength, it makes it easier for us to complete activities of daily living."

Strengthening only one part of the body will not cut it, Kell says. The benefit comes from bench presses for the chest, lateral pull-downs for strengthening the back, and leg presses. All three were correlated with pain reduction. When strength increased in those exercises, pain and disability decreased.

"A lot of work is done with the upper body that is strenuous, so it's important to have strong chest and back muscles so you don't hunch forward," he says. "It's also important to have strong leg muscles, because if you reach down to pick something up and your legs are fatigued, you'll lift more with your back."

Anyone with lower back pain should consult a physician before proceeding with an exercise plan. For a long time, people had been advised to rest in bed when lower back pain flared, but that often led to stiffness and muscle weakness. Now many physicians recommend strengthening the stomach and leg muscles, walking and gentle stretching.

"Exercising is counterintuitive based on how you feel," Kell says. "It hurts, so you want to stop. We associate pain with something being wrong or getting worse, so we think we should rest more often. But really what happens if they get up and exercise with low back pain, the joints loosen up and feel better."

Back pain can prevent people from staying active and is one of the most common complaints that send people to doctors or emergency rooms.

A January report in the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the prevalence of the injury, the costs, the risks and effectiveness of an array of treatments from surgery to spinal injections, and use of anti-inflammatory drugs. The report says that even in successful trials, "most patients continue to experience some pain and dysfunction," and it adds data suggesting that the current management of musculoskeletal disorders, much of which is back pain, is not highly successful.

Kell says his study offers some hope. "If you continue to strengthen the body, the pain will subside, either substantially or to a small amount, but it will subside," he says.

During the first three weeks of the 16-week study, participants worked out with low levels of weight and fewer repetitions to prevent further injury.

"It was nice gradual work in the beginning," he says. "Then when their bodies are ready for the stress, the last 13 weeks I used a heavier, more demanding program. I did not want muscle growth. I didn't want them to get bigger, I wanted them to develop strength.

"I started out using 55% to 60% of the maximum amount of weight. During the last three or four week period they were lifting 75% to 83% of maximum lift. Anything around 80% is considered strength training with a healthy person."

The Fitness Toilet - Seriously

What More Can I Say About This Gem? The latest product from world-renowned over-the-top toilet maker Toto makes each trip to the bathroom like a visit to the doctor's office. It features a weight scale, a body fat meter, a blood sugar and blood pressure monitor as well as urine temperature measurement and analysis to help women keep track of menstruation cycles. Plus the whole thing can be networked to your PC via Wi-Fi. I’m not joking. And as for the cost of this beast? Well, you could train with us three times per week for over a year for less, but then what fun would that be?

Proven Fitness Tricks to Blast Off Fat Faster

Tired of plugging away without seeing the pounds disappear faster? Here are some simple tricks that can help transform your usual regimen into the ultimate fat-blasting routine. Whether you use some or all of these gems, our insider tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve.

Know this: “You’ll be able to comfortably work out longer and harder if you’re cool,” says Len Kravitz, PhD, coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. “Being too hot stresses your body out, so you don’t perform as well.” Translation: You burn less fat.

Do this: Where thin clothing, even if you think you’re “too fat”! I promise you’re not. When exercising at home, put a fan in front of your workout area. Hitting the gym? Wait to use the cardio equipment that has a fan built into the console, or at least find the one under the ceiling fan.


Know this: “Wearing a heart-rate monitor makes it easier to burn more body fat by showing just how hard you’re really working,” Kravitz says. “Keeping your heart rate in the right zone prevents you from slacking off, so you make the most of every minute.”

Do this: Invest in a heart-rate monitor and wear it every time you exercise. We love Life Fitness’s new Dual Watch and Heart Rate Monitor ($60; at CVS stores nationwide). It’s simple to program and use and it doesn’t require a chest strap-just touch the face with your fingertips. And it comes in a variety of sizes, too.


Know this: “Warming up for five minutes before each workout helps you lose more weight,” says Heather Dillinger, an IDEA Health and Fitness Association elite-level personal-fitness trainer. “It not only makes your muscles more pliable but also increases their range of motion, so you end up using more muscle fibers as you exercise.”

Do this: Choose a warm-up routine that hits all of your muscles, not just your legs. The easiest option: Do three to five minutes of low-intensity walking while pumping your arms back and forth (you can do this on a treadmill too) or do the same thing on an elliptical machine.


Know this: “Saving your energy for the end of your cardio workout may prevent you from losing as much weight as you can,” says metabolism expert Dixie Stanforth of the department of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.

Do this: Instead of starting out slow and then finishing up strong, do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout. After doing your warm-up, try exercising at a high intensity for 15 minutes before slowing down to a more moderate pace for the last 15 minutes.


Know this: “Two smaller workouts can be more effective than one,” Stanforth reveals. That’s because every time you do high-intensity exercise, your metabolism stays revved for an hour or more afterward. Splitting up your workout boosts your metabolism twice, giving you additional calorie-burning time from the exact same routine.
Do this: Divide your workout (especially cardio) into two smaller, high-intensity sessions-preferably, doing one in the morning and one at night.


Know this: If you’re convinced that you’re melting fat while exercising, you’ll make a mind-body connection that will actually help you lose fat faster. In a 2007 Harvard study, participants who believed they were getting a good workout showed greater reductions in body fat than subjects who performed the same activities but didn’t feel like they were really exercising.

Do this: The next time you do anything active, remind yourself every few minutes that you’re giving it your all. This little mental move may motivate you to push yourself harder, leading to even greater fat loss.


Know this: “The less time you rest between sets when strength training, the more calories you’re likely to burn,” Dillinger notes. “Keeping rest periods short keeps your heart rate at a higher rate, which naturally increases the number of calories you’re using.”

Do this: The best rule of thumb is to take only a 30-second break between sets (meaning you’ll need a watch with a second hand – or a personal trainer)

Ditch Hydroxycut...Keep Your Liver

O.K., so what’s worse than a diet product that doesn’t work? How about one that trashes your liver as well as your wallet!

Hydroxycut products, well-hyped dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.

The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.

The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.

The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural. Video Watch more on the FDA's concern »

According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
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"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.

The FDA has not determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.

Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.

The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.

The Truth About Stretching

You see them everywhere, people yanking an ankle behind their back before setting off on a jog. Gym-goers being urged by trainers to lie on the floor and put their legs over their heads. It looks like sensible preparation for exercise, but it really does much more harm than good. Not only does it increase the risk of injury, it may also hinder performance.

Research on 23 studies of athletes who performed stretching exercises before tests of sporting performance showed nearly all had a bad effect. One study showed that static stretching before a jump test reduced the maximum height by three-quarters of an inch. A review of six studies of stretching before exercise found that not one demonstrated it prevented injury. Ian Shrier, a Canadian epidemiologist who conducted both reviews, in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, said: "At first people thought I was crazy." But other researchers have since reached similar conclusions.

The best way to prevent injury and prepare for exercise is to do a proper warm-up routine to get blood flowing to the muscles. Doing calf stretches before a run does not benefit the leg muscles because they are never stretched in the extreme position while running. Almost all over-use injuries are strains that occur when the body is in the normal range of motion and are the result of improper training not lack of stretching.

Dr. James Brown, a specialist in sports medicine and spokesman for the UK Association of Doctors in Sport, said: "Stretching before exercise probably increases the risk of injury. Your muscles are never going to get warm. Unfortunately you do still see people doing it everywhere. You won't see elite athletes doing it. They will do a warm-up. If you go jogging or go to the gym at lunchtime there is no need to stretch first. If one stretches at all, one should stretch after exercise or at a time not related to exercise.

WARMING UP

• Start with a gentle warm-up, of the muscles you plan to use

• Increasing blood flow to muscles gets them contracting the way they will need to for the exercise

• Static stretching can stiffen muscles and dynamic (ballistic) stretching can cause immediate injury. Don’t do it!

• If you still feel you need to stretch, do so only at a time when you are not exercising. Consider taking yoga to learn stretching techniques that may be useful.